Your Love Is A Song
by Lily Anna Evans Potter
Summary: Pre-series to pre-S7 unseen moments of Clay Evans and Sara Kay's family legacies. Find out how cross-continental romance in the 70s lead to a goofy sports agent and charming ballerina living life on the count of two. Note: Updates will be sorted chronologically as they come, latest chapter not always newest. Crossover elements of HP, Glee, My Sister's Keeper & more. Ch. 2 & 6 new!
1. Crash And Burn Part 1 - August 2004

**Crash And Burn - Part 1**

"Mind you don't break the suitcase, buddy," Ryan Evans called over his shoulder, tapping his way down the remaining steps from the upper floor so quickly that he almost collided with his wife at the bottom. "Hello, beautiful. You are a lovely last sight, I must say."

"Do you really have to go?" asked Marie, looping her arms around his neck. "I'll never get used to the quiet, our baby is rearing to go way too soon."

"You'll have me all to yourself in two weeks, love," Ryan promised, tugging her into a warm hug. "We got through it with Lily and Petunia already, Clay is not a baby anymore."

"I really don't like Mr. Strauss right now," the redhead pouted, referring to the boss of the publishing company her husband worked for. "This better be a damn good book."

"The Five People You Meet In Heaven," said Ryan; "it's pretty philosophical for fiction but I have a good feeling about it. My job is to sell the good, bad and ugly anyway."

"You always do," she said and gave him a slow, lingering kiss. "What's taking Clay so long?"

"He's probably sulking over the model airplane we didn't have time to finish building," Ryan laughed, spinning around reluctantly. "Clay, it's time to go, now!"

"Coming, coming," the eighteen year old called, finally thundering down the stairs carrying his father's suitcase. "The incomplete jet looks very sad up there."

"We'll finish it when I get back," Ryan promised. "Your old man's gotta have something to look forward to, after all. You're about to fly the nest and Duke won't leave much time for model airplane building."

"Technically it's so close I don't even have to fly to come home," Clay pointed out. "That ship has sailed with Flo and Tuney. I'll always come back, duh."

"You better," said Marie sternly, but taking in the idolizing grin on her son's face as he looked at his father, a lump rose unbidden to her throat. "I can't believe you're about to head off to college, my baby."

"Now you don't start, Ma." Clay shook his head fondly and bent over her shoulders for a final quick hug. "I'll be back soon; it's just the airport right now."

The exchange had led the trio out to the garage and Clay eyed the silver 1966 Stingray longingly. Ryan slammed the trunk on his suitcase and then handed the keys to his son. "You up for a spin, buddy? Even half an hour away, you're gonna need a car to come home, you know. It's a pretty good time for my first car to become yours."

"No way!" If his father hadn't been nudging him impatiently into the driver's seat, Marie was pretty sure Clay would have been bouncing up and down in excitement. "Thanks, Dad."

"Be careful," Marie warned him as he stuck the keys in the ignition. She braced her hand on the doorframe and leaned through the open window to kiss her husband. "Have a safe flight, my love."

"I'll call when I get to New York," Ryan told her. "Two out of the five people in my heaven are right here." When she pulled away he was making a forlorn face, too; "You're right, I really don't like Mr. Strauss right now, either."

"Bye Mom," said Clay, waving impatiently at her. "See you soon." Marie reluctantly backed away and watched her son carefully reverse out of the driveway. Growing up and separation were officially inevitable parts of life and she was already quite certain she didn't like either one.

"That was really cheesy, Dad," said Clay a little while later when they were well on the way to the airport. "Two of the five people in your heaven, really?"

" You won't think it's cheesy when you find the right person, son, trust me on that. You'll understand one day." In what felt like no time at all they reached the airport. When Clay successfully parked the car, his father patted him on the back. "Well done, buddy. Your mother might not like it, but you really are growing up. You take good care of this baby, alright?"

"I will," Clay promised, following Ryan out of the car and turning to stare at it in awe while his father retrieved his suitcase from the trunk. "I'm sure she'll get over the clinginess once you come home to distract her."

"In that I've had years of practice, I think you're right," his father agreed. "I'm proud of you, kiddo. Can't wait to finish up that jet before you go."

"Me either," the teenager nodded eagerly. "See you in two weeks, Dad."

He hugged his father fiercely for a moment, but when he stepped back Ryan's bright green eyes were solemn. "Jokes aside, you take of your mother while I'm gone, alright? She may be in denial of the fact but you're not a baby anymore. I'm counting on you, buddy."

"Yeah, I will," said Clay seriously. "That's why I like Duke, growing up is one thing but I kind of like being closer to you guys. Lily and Petunia got pulled abroad by Mom's British roots, not me."

"That's my boy," Ryan beamed and the sparkle in his eyes reminded Clay vividly of both his older sisters. "See you in two weeks, bud."

Watching his father walk towards the departure terminal, Clay felt a distinct sense of responsibility wash over him. He waited until Ryan was out of sight and then drove home to keep his word and ease his mother's overprotective tension.

In the whirlwind of preparing to depart for college, the next two weeks flew by. By the middle of August, the Batman and Wolverine posters on Clay's bedroom walls were among the few remaining things that still made the room feel like his own. He was smiling up at the model airplane dangling above his bed as he firmly taped yet another cardboard box shut, when the sound of glass shattering sent him hurtling down the stairs. "What was that?" he gasped, but pausing at the foot of the stairs, the reason for the shattered mug that left tea soaking into the carpet became abundantly clear.

His mother had been sitting in the rocking chair in the corner with her afternoon tea while he progressed with his college packing. Her dark blue eyes were fixated on the news report on the television, wide and horrified. When the newscaster's words penetrated the shocking sight of his mother's face, Clay suddenly felt so sick he couldn't blame her reaction.

"We have breaking news," said the pretty blonde reporter on the screen, the words on the ticker tape running across the bottom giving it away before she could speak. "American Airlines flight 4735 suffered mysterious engine failure half-way from New York to Raleigh. The number of casualties is as yet unknown, but communication with the flight was lost over a forest area in Richmond, Virginia."

The woman then went on to talk about a fire somewhere, but Clay's gaze snapped desperately to his mother. "Mom?" he said carefully, but she either couldn't or wouldn't speak. "That…that was Dad's flight, wasn't it?" Clay didn't really need to ask the question, because he'd been counting the days to his father's return as much as Marie had. But her tiny, barely perceptible nod still made his insides turn when the television showed a crashing aircraft exploding into flames on the screen a few moments later. "Oh my God," he whispered at the spectacle that made any survivors very unlikely. The crunch of the broken tea mug underfoot forced him back to the present as his mother staggered to her feet and ran to the bathroom in the hallway.

By the time Clay lunged for the remote to turn off the distressing news, Marie was retching violently and the sound made him inexplicably feel five years old again. Clay should have called the airline, he knew, so that they might cling to a last shred of hope that Ryan had somehow taken a different flight. But propelled by terror and desperation he found himself dialling his father's younger brother in Lima instead. If this nightmare was real, there was no way he could deal with it without reinforcements.

While Ryan had gone to college and become a literary agent, his younger brother Jonathan had stayed in the family business of farming, albeit re-locating to Lima to do so. A sensation of panic was just tightening its grip on Clay's pounding heart when his Aunt Tanya answered the phone. "Evans residence, hello?"

"Aunt Tanya, thank God!" Clay knew he sounded more desperate than he had meant to out of sheer relief. "It's Clay. I…um, have you guys seen the news today?"

"What are you talking about, sweetie?" she asked, obviously sensing the urgency in his tone because he heard her shushing his twin three year old cousins in the background.

"A plane from New York crashed somewhere in Richmond," he said, even the words spoken out loud not making it seem more real. "It doesn't look like there are any survivors and…um, my Dad was supposed to be on that plane."

"No," she gasped; "Oh my God!"

"That's what I said," he agreed dully; "Can you…um, can you come down here, please? My Mom is in shock and I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to be leaving for college in a few weeks, not losing my Dad right now."

"Clay, breathe," she reminded him, obviously having heard the hysterical edge to his voice. "Of course we'll come. Have you spoken to your sisters already?"

"Not yet," he admitted. "How am I supposed to tell them this? This plane crash won't be global news or anything but it just changed our whole world. I don't know how to do this!"

"We'll be there as soon as we possibly can, honey," Tanya promised, although the normally soothing lilt of her voice did little to calm him down. "I'll tell you what; I'll call the girls, okay? You just take care of your mother right now and we'll be there soon."

"Are you sure?" he asked, but the relief was palpable at her offer. He vaguely heard his aunt say that she had the situation under control, but then Marie staggered out of the bathroom and left him speechless as he hung up the phone. Her trembling fingers were toying with the diamond heart pendant on the chain Ryan had gifted her on their anniversary a few months ago and her eyes were bloodshot. "Mom," Clay whispered and swooped towards her as if a magnetic force was driving them together. When she began to shiver in his arms, he shoved the scared five year old little boy out of mind. The promise he had made his father two weeks ago had just been enforced in the worst way possible and he would not break it, now or ever.

**A / N This is the furthest I've ever gone back in my headcanons, pre-Clara even. Clearly I have a thing for torturing my baby Clay. Enjoy all! xx**


	2. Crash And Burn Part 2 - August 2004

**Crash And Burn – Part 2**

The two days after news broke of the life-changing plane crash passed in a blur of keeping the promise to take care of his mother. Marie was in such a state that when Clay sensed the presence hovering over his bed in the early hours of Sunday morning, he wasn't even surprised anymore. "You're turning tables here, Ma," he joked half-heartedly, stifling a yawn as he sat up. "Good thing you didn't trip over one of the boxes." She couldn't do more than give him that terrifying numb stare that had been on her face for the better part of two days. "Can't sleep again?"

"I'm sorry," she sighed; "the bed…it's too big for me now. And when I do close my eyes I just see that explosion, over and over."

"Don't be sorry," he said softly, pulling her down to sit beside him on the edge of his bed. "I see it too." His arms circled around her and squeezed hard. "Everyone will be here tomorrow, Lily and Tuney and Uncle Jon's whole family. Granny and Pops will need you to be well-rested, right? I can't think of anything worse than outliving your kid."

"It feels impossible," she said quaveringly. "I should be tougher than this, but I just don't know how."

"How can anyone be tough right now?" he interrupted. "This is Dad we're talking about; nothing is ever going to be the same from now on." Her hands were freezing when he gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze and Clay wondered in his half-asleep state if that was because her heart was keeping all the blood to itself, pumping with sheer undying and devastating love. "Hey, we're gonna be okay, I promise."

"You're more like him than you know, sweetheart." The grief in her eyes contradicted the tender sincerity and when Marie touched his cheek, Clay just leaned into the contact and tried not to see the pain all over her face. "Thank you for being so brave."

"I'm not that brave," he whispered, the words getting stuck behind a painful lump in his throat. "I just made a promise. I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, my darling. Even now when thinking and feeling anything hurts, I am so proud of you. Duke is going to be so very fortunate in a few weeks."

"Maybe," Clay mumbled dubiously, too exhausted to even think about leaving home right then. "How about we both crash in your bed? Screw growing up, nightmares love company."

"That is a wonderful idea," she said fervently and pulled him to his feet. Together they picked their way around the precariously piled packing cases and moved across the hall to the master bedroom. The sheets still smelled like his father and at the strong surge of emotions, Clay almost regretted his suggestion. But then Marie gave his hand a grateful squeeze and when she never let go he knew why he had done it, all part of the promise kept.

The next day, Petunia caught the same taxi from the airport as her twin sister Lily. She nabbed the front seat, but spent the entire ride to their childhood home glowering through the rear-view mirror at the redhead dozing on James' shoulder in the backseat. Despite the tragic circumstances bringing them home, the green-eyed blonde had room in her gut for burning jealousy of her sister's life. Her eyes darted to the dark-haired toddler perched on James' lap tugging happily on his fingers. "Ma," the one year old babbled, poking Lily before he could stop her.

"Lulu, no!" James hissed, but it was too late. "Sorry love," he grimaced when Lily jerked awake; "this one obviously loves your hair as much as I do."

"Looks like it," his wife agreed, unable to smile like she normally would have when her little girl playfully grabbed a fistful of her glossy red hair. "Not much further now, lovey," she soothed and lifted the cooing toddler back onto her lap. "Not much further at all."

"Keep that scowl up and it'll become permanent, Petunia," James pointed out, catching the blonde glaring at them. "What's your problem?"

"You mean besides the fact that my father is dead, Potter?" she challenged. "You two make me sick."

"Shut up, Tuney," Lily snapped, tightening her grip on Louisa when the baby whimpered at her raised voice. "We're almost home, the last thing Mom needs right now is us chewing each other's heads off."

"That's easy for you to say, Lils," her sister retorted. "You were always his golden girl and Clay could do no wrong. Where does that leave me now that he's gone, huh?"

"Petunia," Lily sighed, but at that most unfortunate moment, the taxi reached their house. Petunia paid the driver without another word and stormed out of the car. Lily turned to James with tears in her eyes; "What are we going to do about her?" she said sadly, but her husband just nodded at the house.

"She'll come around, babe. Right now I think Clay and your Mum need you more. Come on, I've never heard of a baby not bringing a little joy into the house. Lou is our secret weapon, right?"

"You're right," she said and pressed close to him as they stepped out onto the lawn. "Let's do this before I lose my nerve."

"Nonsense, you're one of the bravest people I know," he said and took the baby from her with an encouraging smile as the front door banged open.

"Flo, thank God!" Lily barely had time to register the strangled cry before she was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. "It's so good to see you."

"Hi, ducky," she said softly, instinctively stroking her brother's hair while he clung to her like a lifeline in the storm their lives had become overnight. "How are you doing?" While Clay pondered the loaded question, she glanced warily in the direction of staircase. "Where's Mom?"

"Finally getting some sleep," he said and when he stepped back she realized with a sinking feeling in her stomach how exhausted he looked. "It's been a rough two days. I-I'm sorry I made Aunt Tanya call you, but I didn't know how to…this, I mean…it's Dad."

"Clay, breathe," she reminded him sharply and her little brother closed his eyes and leaned in for an even longer hug. "I'm here now, we'll get through this. Is Uncle Jon bringing everyone down too?"

"Should be on the way," said Clay softly, feeling his self-control slip further away the longer she held onto him. "Mom's had nightmares of the plane exploding for two days. It was so scary."

"I can only imagine, sweetie. It was bad enough hearing it second-hand from Aunt Tanya. Are Granny and Pops coming too?"

"Yeah, of course they are. They've been in touch with Aunt Tanya and Uncle Jon, even though they're much closer to us. Mom hasn't really been up for talking lately." Finally he glanced over her shoulder into the yard, where James was bouncing Louisa up and down to distract her from the heavy sadness inside the house. "You certainly got the whole crew along, Lulu is getting so big. Where's Tuney?"

"I…I don't know," Lily stammered; "she threw a really weird fit on the cab ride down here, something about how we were more important to Dad than she was. I was too tired to make sense of it, hopefully she'll turn up eventually."

"That's strange," Clay frowned, but he didn't exactly have the energy to make sense of it either. "Hope she gets over it soon, Mom needs all of us right now."

"Yeah, she does," Lily agreed, but the deep anguish in his eyes worried her more than Petunia's attitude at the moment. "What are you thinking? That face worries me more than Petunia's drama right now to be honest."

"I can't help my face, Flo," he muttered half-heartedly, but for once he knew she wasn't just teasing him. "How am I supposed to leave Mom alone in two weeks?" he said desperately. "Did you hear I got in to Duke? I just…I can't imagine leaving now. Dad made me promise to take care of her…it was the last thing he said to me. How can I leave now? Just answer me that."

"Clay, that's amazing." If they hadn't both been so exhausted and emotionally wrecked, he could tell she would have been beaming. "Going ahead and making her proud is the best thing you could possibly do right now, for the whole family."

"No pressure," he said with a strained grimace, but Lily just gave him another tight hug.

"It's the good news we could all really use right now, trust me. Nothing will make her…or Dad prouder than watching you soar."

Clay stiffened in her embrace at the sheer pride in her voice. "I can't believe this is really happening," he choked and just like that the mask his mother had called so brave slipped and his sister's arms were the safe haven he never wanted to leave.

**A / N Another dose of my baby and teenage angst, enjoy all! xx**


	3. On The Count Of Two - August 2005

**On The Count Of Two**

"You are officially a wimp, Evans," Alex Walker teased his college roommate, climbing over the railing of the bridge they were standing on. A group of Duke University buddies were taking advantage of the sunny Saturday to prove their daring by diving off the bridge into the lake below.

"Am not, this stuff is totally in your blood man, we can't all be daredevils," Clay Evans protested weakly, curling his fingers tightly around the rail, without climbing over to the dangerous side. Alex grinned, revealing perfect white teeth and flexed his muscles proudly. There was no way those nerves of steel were down to anything but his Italian roots, Clay mused, flinching as Alex somersaulted off the railing. That was it; all his friends were out of sight in the water way too far below him now, damn. "Peer pressure ladies and gentlemen," Clay muttered under his breath to no one in particular.

"Tell me about it," agreed a voice to his left faintly and Clay looked up with a start. Staring wide-eyed over the rail at the water was a girl. Dressed simply in a pink sleeveless top and tiny shorts, the blonde was pretty, he decided instantly.

"I can tell you it's a long way down," he grinned at her and the girl rolled her deep hazel eyes at him, before glancing down at the water again.

"I can see that, Einstein," she said, biting her lip nervously. "I'm really not a big fan of heights and you are not helping!"

"I heard Einstein lacked social skills to make up for his genius," Clay replied conversationally. "I hope I'm not that bad, the name's Clay by the way."

"You're not too bad, I suppose." She managed a shy smile; "I'm Sara." Almost immediately her gaze darted back to the motion of the waves below them. "I really wish my roommates could have been happy with something a little tamer. What's wrong with say, beer pong or even streaking?"

"Perfectly awesome college traditions right there," he agreed fervently. "Curse of the daredevil roomies this is." Clay followed her terrified gaze to the water below, gulped and glanced back at Sara again. "You wanna do this together?" he suggested. He clambered over the railing and held out his hand to help her.

"Traitor," she squealed, shaking like a leaf and clinging to the rail harder than ever.

"Come on," Clay said encouragingly. "Your friends will leave you behind if you don't," he pointed out. "You can do it!"

Sara resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes shut with difficulty as she climbed over the rail with Clay's help. "If I survive this, I'm so killing my roommate," she grumbled.

"Murder doesn't seem like your style, pinky," he joked, toying with the loose shoulder strap of her top as she pressed back against the rail in terror. The only way to go from this side was down, a very long way down.

"How would you know my style?" she protested, side-stepping out of his reach. "Bad boy!"

"I'm not really, that's just a very cute top you're wearing," he smirked. "Anyway, stop changing the subject. We were about to jump, I believe?"

A faint blush had made Sara's cheeks match her pale pink top for a split second, but his last words ignited her fear again. Clay sidled closer to her and held out his hand; "On the count of two?" he suggested, holding her scared gaze for a moment.

"What? Nobody goes on the count of two!" she objected quickly, tearing her brown eyes away from his face to stare at the lapping water below them again.

"I know," Clay shrugged. "It can be our thing, something to tell the grandkids about years from now."

"I would have been perfectly happy to share a story about streaking across the quad," she sighed.

"Oh gross," he groaned. "No kid wants to hear that from their grandparents, trust me."

Sara looked right at him again and giggled, inching her pale fingers carefully along the railing behind them until she could reach his hand. "On the count of two?" she said timidly.

Clay smiled widely at her, that laugh was just about the cutest thing he'd ever heard. "You're on," he said, grasping her hand and aiming a final steely gaze at the intimidating mass of water below them. "One…," he started, swinging their joined hands to and fro so they each had one hand remaining on the rail.

"Two," said Sara in a voice pitched high with fear. With that the pair lurched away from the railing at last and dived bravely into the lake below. Their joined hands broke apart at the colossal splash when they collided with the water and for a moment the force of the water blinded Clay. Sara's breathless laughter sounded somewhere to his left and by the time his eyes managed to pop open she was paddling in triumphant circles around him. "Oh goodness, tell that to the grandkids indeed," she giggled.

"How badass were you, girl?" he grinned back. Just like that, the shy edge to Sara's peals of laughter fell away and she braced her hands on his shoulders. Her rosy lips were pressed against Clay's before he knew what was happening, but he responded eagerly soon enough. They broke apart only at the loud wolf-whistles from their friends, somehow already back on the bridge they had taken so long to jump from.

"Definitely one to tell the grandkids, right there." Sara paddled away from him with a teasing wink, leaving Clay staring after her utterly intrigued. Oblivious to his awe, the blonde was already gaping up at the bridge; "Is that your roomie making out with mine by any chance?"

Clay followed her gaze and instantly rolled his eyes; Alex was leaning against the bridge railing holding a slim brunette against him. "If that's your roomie then yes it is," he said. "If Alex has his way with her you won't have to murder her, he's a heart-breaker."

"Poor thing," said Sara unconvincingly, her deep brown eyes were glinting mischievously.

A few of their less promiscuous friends were looking down at the water with interest and Clay smirked; "Who says they get to have all the fun? You up for another round, pinky?"

"It's Sara, you goof," she giggled, glancing self-consciously down and her now wet and transparent tank top. "And that depends on another round of what; I'm not jumping off the damn bridge again!"

"Not what I had in mind," Clay admitted and swam closer to her again. He wrapped his arms around her and gently started sucking on her lips, begging wordlessly for entry.

"That I can do," Sara gasped and returned the kiss to cheers from their watching friends. "Who knew counting to two could have so many benefits?"

"Told you so," Clay moaned triumphantly between kisses. "Have a little faith next time, pinky."

"You really are a knucklehead," she murmured in exasperation. "If you're expecting a next time, learn my name!"

"I was hoping for one," he said sincerely. "Strange to go through the count of two and leave it at a chance meeting, that's my special thing you know. And your name is lovely, Sara No-Last-Name," he added sweetly.

"Sara Kay," she laughed, shivering when the sun disappeared suddenly behind a cloud. "Can we get out of here, please?"

"Not until Sara Kay promises Clay Evans another date," he grinned, holding onto her wrist triumphantly.

"I don't see how the count of two equals two dates, but okay," she conceded. He was too mesmerized by her to point out this chance meeting wasn't exactly a date.

The clouds continued to darken abruptly above them; "Hurry up you two," their friends urged from the bridge overhead.

"Race you to land?" Sara suggested and took off with strong, confident strokes before he could even nod. Clay followed her quickly, thinking all the way that missing out seeing this girl again was not an option. A stupid stunt and daring room-mates had resulted in an absolutely fateful encounter they would both be telling their grandkids about one day, no matter what.

**A / N This was originally the first chapter of a multi-chapter called Crash And Burn which was too ambitious, enjoy once again! xx**


	4. Fast Friends - August 2005

**Fast Friends**

As dark clouds descended over Durham, the group of bridge-diving Duke University students huddled together in a small fast food joint near their campus. Alex had charmed Sara's room-mate Jessica into the seat opposite him and was mischievously waving a French fry covered with ketchup in her face. "I envy your metabolism, sweetie," the brunette sighed, throwing Sara's plate an envious glance. "Cassie will have my head if I touch that thing." She glared darkly at the smirking Alex, while Sara just nodded absently, focused on twisting her damp hair into a loose plait. Both girls were majoring in dance and their ballet teacher was famous for her impeccable standards and no-nonsense attitude.

"Stop tormenting her," Sara snapped at the dark-haired flirt on her friend's behalf, tossing the plait over her shoulder for dramatic effect.

"Feisty," Alex grinned appreciatively at the blonde. "Not stopping anything until she sticks up for herself, I love the accent." Jessica almost choked on her water at the random confession and Clay stopped staring at Sara long enough to pat her on the back. "Where are you from, pretty lady?" Alex asked, mimicking her heavy, obviously British accent.

"I hate you," she groaned, snatching up a fry remorsefully from Alex's plate. "And I'm from England, happy now?" Alex continued to smile charmingly at her and Sara rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Clay.

"Is he always this bad?" she asked curiously.

"I warned you, total heart-breaker," Clay shrugged dismissively, glancing sympathetically at Jessica, whose exasperated glare was softening quickly. "But enough about him, I hope you know this doesn't qualify as our date, Sara Kay."

"Is that so?" Sara challenged, tilting her head and staring him down with adorably raised eyebrows.

"You bet missy, I'm not sharing a pretty girl like you with this lot," he promised, gesturing at the two tables pushed together to accommodate the Duke students. "No way, I'm taking you out properly."

"Flattery won't work on me," Sara replied firmly, but her bright smile contradicted the words. She reached over and swiped some ketchup from the corner of Clay's plate, popping the French fry into her mouth with a teasing smirk as he continued to stare at her. "What are you staring at, knucklehead? Do I have something on my face?"

"Just there," Clay murmured, pressing a napkin into her hand. Swiping away the stray ketchup on the corner of her lips only happened in movies after all. The fact was, the sight of her face did something to his insides, a pleasurable squirm of positive energy almost. It had started with the fleeting gaze of pure terror she had given him on the bridge and now he couldn't look away if he wanted to. "I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "You're beautiful."

"Thanks," she said quietly, the return of her flushed cheeks proved she knew he wasn't being flattering for the sake of it. Good thing too, he could hardly believe he had said that out loud. Clay stared down at his plate with a nervous smile and Sara watched him with interest. The sincerity was more flattering than anything she could hear Alex still persistently throwing at Jessica, on her left. "I still can't believe I actually did that jump," Sara said at last, breaking the awkward silence. "I wasn't kidding, life-long fear of heights here," she confessed. "I never even fly unless I have to."

"Seriously?" Clay took the bait gratefully. "You must be from nearby then; I get the feeling most people at this college fly in from all over the place." He nodded to their left; "Look at your roomie, for example."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I'm from Raleigh actually, only about half an hour's drive from here. It's convenient because I wasn't too keen on leaving home anyway."

"No way!" Clay exclaimed; "I'm from Raleigh too, small world," he smiled. "So your family's clingy, huh? I try and go home a fair bit too, my Dad passed away last year so Mom's by herself now."

"I'm sorry," Sara said sympathetically. "That must be hard for her. Are you an only child?"

He shook his head; "I have two older sisters actually, they're twins. Both settled down in England though so it doesn't really do Mom much good. In that sense it's just me who's close enough to look out for her."

"That's so sweet," Sara smiled. "I have an older sister too; she's totally my best friend. I guess that's part of the reason I didn't even consider going to college further away from home," she mused. "I'd definitely miss my folks too much. It's nice being able to go home so easily. My sister Izzie is so hoping that I follow in her footsteps. She was a dancer, you know."

"She wouldn't think much of me then," Clay laughed; "I can't dance to save my life, pretty much been disappointing my sisters since the day I was born."

"Yeah, you don't strike me as the ballet type necessarily," Sara giggled and the way her amusement made her hazel eyes twinkle captivated his gaze all over again. A frustrated groan on his left jerked Clay from his trance and he reluctantly turned to rescue Jessica from Alex's relentless attempts to charm her into submission.

"Dude, give it a rest already," he muttered at his room-mate in exasperation.

"She likes it," Alex protested, winking playfully at Jessica.

The slender brunette blushed at the undeniably charming smirk, but her obvious disapproval severely contrasted Sara's sweet smile. "You wish, buddy," she said, rolling her eyes at the exaggerated flirting. She turned to Clay with a relieved sigh; "Thanks for that, this one's impossible to shake."

"You learn to ignore him," Clay assured her; "Sorry he made you wreck your diet," he nodded at the pile of fries Alex had tipped insistently onto her plate.

"Not looking," Jessica insisted, keeping her pale blue eyes locked on his face. "So, your sister moved to England, huh?"

"Two sisters, but yeah, settled in Surrey," he nodded. "I'm half English actually; my Mom's family is from there. So eventually both my sisters decided they liked it better over there and just skipped continents permanently after their studies. They both have husbands and kids now, the whole works. You must miss it."

"Of course," Jessica smiled; "It's home. I have a brother too but I haven't really had a best friend since primary school. It was a boy then and at that age things change all the time," she sighed, shaking her head at the misfortunes of growing up. "All aboard for the crazy college experience now, bring it on America!"

"That's elementary school, hon," Sara translated the British term and Jess rolled her eyes again.

"He's half English, Sara, I doubt you have to translate my lingo for this one."

"Whatever you say, honey," the blonde laughed, raising her hands in a gesture of peace. To Clay, she added; "Dude, trust me, you don't want to let this one start raving about her former best friend, James Potter. She's kind of unstoppable on a roll."

Now it was Clay's turn to choke on his soft drink; "James Potter?" he spluttered incredulously, as Jessica returned the earlier favor and thumped him on the back.

"That's what I just said," Sara raised her eyebrows at him again and Clay had to concentrate extremely not to let her cuteness distract him.

"Uncontrollable black hair, blind as a bat without his big round glasses, prankster king James Potter?" he reiterated curiously.

"How on earth did you know that?" Jessica squealed admiringly. She gave Sara a long, pointed look as if to say "this one is a keeper" with her eyes only, but her friend ignored it.

Both girls stared at Clay curiously and he grinned and said simply; "He's my brother in-law now, only met him at my sister Lily's wedding the one time but she's very happy with him." From that moment on, Clay Evans had both Sara and Jessica hooked on his every word and neither girl noticed Alex's frustrated huff at his completely wasted efforts.

**A / N This was originally the second chapter of the multi-chapter Clara fic Crash &amp; Burn. It re-introduced my first ever OC Jessica Parker and was kind of like getting an old friend from my Harry Potter fanfic days back. On that note I also introduced my personal headcanon that Clay Evans and HP's Lily and Petunia Evans are siblings, just so I might eventually get to write a bit of my HP OTP Jily again at some point. Enjoy all! xx**


	5. The Pep Talk - September 2005

**The Pep Talk **

"Let me guess, still staring at the phone?" said Alex cockily, when he wandered into the dorm room he shared with Clay and found his room-mate eyeing his cell phone warily. "The worst she can say is no, you know. You've even kissed already."

"Not helping, dude," Clay scowled at his over-confident friend. "That was different, maybe the kiss was adrenaline-fueled or something. She was as freaked about jumping off that bridge as I am right now."

"Well that should put it into perspective then." Alex took a seat on Clay's swiveling desk chair opposite the bed and spun to face him with an annoying smirk. "She can't bite over the phone, you know. A no is literally the worst that could happen."

"That's easy for you to say, Jess has no self-control around you. Sara is different."

"How different, really?" said Alex, holding up his fingers to make a list. "Both dancers, both hot, both…"

"Cut it out!" Clay snapped, looking so frustrated that Alex finally stopped teasing him.

"You really like this girl, don't you?" he said simply and Clay nodded. "Then what is there to be so worried about? I don't get it."

"I just never thought a girl like her would ever even kiss me. If I call and she says no it'll just ruin a great memory, you know? I'm torn between another leap of faith and letting a good thing stay…untainted, I guess."

"Jeez Evans, you think too much." Alex shook his head in disbelief, leaning on his elbows against the backrest of the chair. "There is another option you're apparently not considering in all this. She might say yes."

"Why would she do that though?" Clay argued skeptically and his room-mate rolled his dark eyes impatiently.

"Did you play football in high school by any chance, dude?"

Clay shook his head. "No. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if a concussion in the recent past was likely, because you're being ridiculous."

"Uncalled for," Clay huffed and moved towards the door. It would have been the perfect dramatic exit if the lock hadn't jammed and Alex' snickers just infuriated him even more. "Thanks for nothing, Lex."

"Anytime, buddy," his room-mate called after him and then the door slammed and Clay found himself in the hallway still at a complete loss for what to do.

His fingers seemed to know what he needed before his brain could catch up, because the next thing he knew he had dialed his older sister's number in England. Mercifully it was Lily who picked up the phone; Clay didn't fancy explaining girl troubles to his brother in-law James either. "Potter residence, this is Lily."

"Serious question, Flo: Why did you have to move to another freaking continent? I have a very big problem here!"

"Hello to you too, ducky," she giggled at his agitated tone. "What is this oh so massive problem, hmm?"

"It's about a girl," Clay admitted; "Her name is Sara. We met last month when some mutual friends dragged us bridge-jumping into a local lake."

"Bridge-jumping? As in jumping off a bridge?"

"That does define bridge-jumping, Lils," he echoed in exasperation. "Can we focus on the real issue here, please? Girl alert! A seriously beautiful girl no less, who held my hand when we jumped off the bridge and then we kissed in the water."

"Who are you and what have you done with my little brother?" Lily teased, enjoying the moment before he groaned desperately. "Alright, I'm sorry, being serious now."

"Thank you! The point is I'm kind of freaking out about calling her. I know it's stupid, since like Alex pointed out we've even kissed already. But that moment was so perfect, the bridge and the kiss and the group lunch afterwards that I kind of don't want to ruin it."

"What could possibly ruin that? It sounds like a dream to me and you're talking to a happily married woman."

"Well good because I can't marry you, that's just gross," Clay laughed at her relaxed tone, although his own nerves were still on edge. "Lily…what if she says no? I don't think I could handle it. Call me crazy but I just keep wondering what Dad would have done, you know? It's been a year now and I still wish he was here."

"Of course you do, honey," she sighed; "I feel that way every time I look at my girl. She's only two now but she'll only ever have stories of her grandfather. It's not even close to fair and we both know it."

"Normally I'd be all over stories of Lulu, but I really am desperate here. What do I do, Flo?"

"You call her," said Lily simply. "And I bet deep down you know exactly what Dad would have told you do, right?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "I bet Mom got plenty of phone calls on the count of two when they were dating. I told Sara to jump off the bridge on the count of two, actually. She was horrified because it gave her less time to be freaked out, but I said it could be our thing."

"Well damn, what do you need me for, dude? That is totally smooth, way to go!"

"But that was then," Clay argued apprehensively. "I already had this conversation with Alex. What if the kiss was just a thrill of the moment thing? I mean, we got along well enough at lunch after, but what if she doesn't feel the same?"

"Now you're just looking for reasons not to call, chicken," Lily teased him. "Clay, you'll always find reasons not to do something if you really want to. But if you really do like this girl so much, man up and make that call. She'd be lucky to have you if you ask me."

"You really think so?" he said skeptically. "And you're not just saying that as my favorite sister?"

"Of course not, that's an added bonus," she promised fondly. "Then again Tuney's barely competition, right?"

"Right," he agreed faintly. "Man, I wish you were here, Lils."

"I'll cross my fingers long distance if it helps," she told him. "Don't sell yourself short, ducky. There might be any number of reasons for her to say no to another date, but there are definitely more reasons to say yes. You're kind of awesome and I'm not gonna let you forget it, okay?"

"Okay," he echoed and she could hear the tense edge of self-doubt leaving his voice now. "Thanks Flo, I owe you one."

"You owe me way more than one if we're really counting, sweetie," she shot back affectionately. "Good luck with the call. We'll Skype tomorrow, okay? I better go, I hear my two year old protesting bedtime."

"She needs Mommy as much I do, lucky girl is still allowed tantrums," Clay laughed. "Bye sis, love you."

"You've got this, rockstar," she said firmly and hung up, leaving her brother feeling considerably calmer about what his heart was telling him to do next.

"On the count of two," he whispered to himself, stashing his phone away as he made his way towards the girls' dorms. This was a conversation better had in person, he decided, and the rest was in the hands of a gorgeous blonde ballerina.

**A / N Splitting up the pep talk from the conversation with Sara just for the sake of posting a new update tonight xx**


	6. The Costume Party - September 2005

**The Costume Party**

Elsewhere in the university living quarters, Sara Kay and her best friend Jessica almost felt as if they were in one of their dance classes. The reason for this was the soon to be nineteen year old girl who lived across the hall from them. "Twirl girlies, twirl!" Amanda Watson clapped her hands enthusiastically. "The rent on these costumes isn't peanuts you know, it's gotta look epic."

"Aren't you a little old for costume parties?" Sara shifted uncomfortably under the raven-haired girl's scrutinizing gaze and fiddled with the cat ears on her headband. "I feel ridiculous."

"You look like a total babe," said Amanda dismissively. "There's no such thing as too old for heroics."

"What heroics could a couple of college girls possibly get up to?" Jessica's curly brown locks bounced as she stared skeptically down at the Supergirl logo across her own chest. "She's got a point, Mandy. This thing is so tight."

"It's supposed to be tight, silly," the birthday girl said airily. "Have you ever seen a saggy superhero costume? You both look awesome!" She stroked her chin thoughtfully, staring into space for a moment. "The only thing this party is missing is boys and it'll be a blast."

"Oh my God," Sara groaned and buried her face in her hands. "You're determined to embarrass us, aren't you?"

"Have you heard from your cute bridge jumping buddy?" asked Amanda, as if Sara hadn't spoken at all.

"No, I haven't." Sara gave Jessica an annoyed shove when her room-mate smirked knowingly. "You shut up."

"I didn't say anything," the British girl protested. "I've heard plenty from that friend of his, Alex. It's a bit annoying, actually."

"Well you did have his tongue in your mouth," Sara pointed out. "It would be weird if he didn't call after that."

"By that logic Clay should be calling you too, missy," Jessica argued. "I was a little busy myself but there were plenty of witnesses to the kiss of the scaredy-cats."

"Jessie!" Sara squirmed uncomfortably under the amused gazes of her girlfriends. "There was no tongue, ugh! It was…sweet and exciting and kind of wonderful actually."

Amanda had been watching the exchange with a far too eager glint in her dark eyes. "What are the odds your boys have friends?" she mused. "This has excellent potential you two, I knew I roped you in for a reason."

"Boys were never part of the deal, Mandy." Sara looked down at her hands and although the squabbling was exhausting, she couldn't help but smile. Stroking her fingers she could almost feel Clay's touch, equal parts needy and firm just before they launched into the lake.

"Anything that can make you blush like that has got to be part of the deal, Sara Kay." Amanda turned to pick up the prop that went with her costume, a fake sai sword, and pointed it at the blonde. "Now stop arguing with me, Catwoman. I happen to be the badass Elektra and just because I haven't found my Daredevil yet doesn't mean I won't, you mark my words."

"Oh sure, you get to be the one with a weapon." Jessica's tone was exasperated but her grip was firm when Sara scrambled nervously as far away from the blade as she could. "Fine, we'll get you boys at this party if you put that thing down." When Amanda lowered the blade with a triumphant smile, the British girl looked at Sara. "Hand me my cell phone from my bag, would you? Better get Alex on board with this thing before this one goes all Queen Of Hearts on our heads."

"I resent that, Parker." Amanda scowled, but before she could say anything else there was a knock at their front door. "I'll get that," the birthday girl squealed and ran to answer it, still clutching her sai sword in one hand. At the sight before her, the enthusiastic cosplayer couldn't help her grin growing even wider. "Oh, this is just perfect!"

With his nerves on edge, the beaming girl dangling a sai sword at her side threw Clay for a loop. "Um, hello," he stammered; "I'm Clay; we might have met at the bridge jump stunt last Saturday? I was looking for Sara." He eyed the sword in her hand nervously; "Is this a bad time?"

"Absolutely not," said the dark-haired girl eagerly. "Your timing could not be more brilliant actually. Come inside!"

At the familiar voice shaking with nerves being coerced into their quarters by Amanda's forwardness, Sara exchanged a terrified grimace with Jessica as the British girl nudged her to her feet. "She did not just do that," the blonde groaned, quickly yanking the cat ears off her head. "How creepy do I look? God, I'm going to kill Mandy!"

"You look fine, honey," Jessica assured her. "Maybe he has a thing for sexy cat ladies?"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Sara snapped, but before her room-mate could say another word, Amanda peeked into the bedroom with an entirely too excited smile plastered on her face. "Sara, Mr. Bridge Jumping Cutie is here to see you."

"You'll pay for this, Amanda," Sara hissed as she slunk past the birthday girl reluctantly. In the tight costume, her heart pounding felt even more uncomfortable than usual when she laid eyes on Clay hovering awkwardly in the common living room. "Hey stranger," she said softly and the stunned look in his dark blue eyes made her wish the ground would open and swallow her up. "Sorry about this, my friend Amanda desperately wants to have a costume party for her birthday coming up."

"Was she aiming that sword at you too?" he laughed and rather than feel more humiliating, the sound somehow put her at ease. "That girl is scary."

"I know, right? You got here just in time; Jessica and I were beginning to fear for our lives. Or, you know, our freedom of speech at the very least."

"Glad to be of service." He eyed her in awed silence for a moment. "I think the costume helps actually. I was so nervous about calling you again, but you look so awesome right now I'm glad I came over."

"I'm glad you did, too," said Sara softly. "Plus you put us out of our misery back there; Amanda was one step away from holding Jessica hostage until she gets Alex to come to this party. She's scary and boy-crazy, that one."

"For what it's worth, I think you look fabulous," Clay shrugged. "I know I for one am gonna be thanking Amanda, even though she answered the door practically aiming her sword at me."

"Um, thanks." Sara's nervous smile took him back to the day of the bridge jump. "So how have you been?"

"Thinking about how it felt to be holding your hand quite a lot, actually," Clay told her without thinking and instantly flushed. "Shit, was that too much?"

"That was very sweet, actually," Sara smiled and took a step closer to him. "Would you stop shaking? I'm the one in a freaking Catwoman costume here, it could have sent you running for the hills."

"That's probably the last thing that could send me running, I promise," said Clay solemnly, but he couldn't help his fingers still trembling when she slipped her hand into his.

"Just in case you need a reminder of how it felt," she winked, squeezing his fingers lightly. "This hand got me through a very scary stunt last Saturday; I kind of owed it another touch."

"That is one very grateful hand," he said, returning the gentle caress. "What about the other part?"

"Other part?" she echoed teasingly, his obvious nerves somehow making it easier to ignore the embarrassing outfit she had been caught in, since he was so clearly a fan. "Remind me which part you mean?"

"I think you know," he moaned and then his fingers pressed against the arch of her back, so firmly that she leaned back with the flexibility of an actual cat. Sara tuned out Amanda and Jessica's giggles as they peeked out of the bedroom, the only thing that mattered was making another memory of the way Clay's lips felt on hers, warm but somehow desperate and tender all at once.

"Oh, that other part," she laughed when he finally released her and stepped back with a mesmerizing sparkle in his deep blue eyes. "Tell me something," she said at last and he tilted his head and eyed her with a curious smile.

"Yeah?"

"Did you knock on the count of two?"

"You remember that part?" he groaned and Sara found it really was flustering him that made her feel more at ease. "I'm sorry, I'm such a cheeseball."

"I really like that, actually. Like you said, it can be our thing, right?"

"Our thing?" he echoed in awe. "So we officially have a thing now? We are a thing?"

"We are a thing," she confirmed. "If that's what you want, anyway."

"Does that mean you'll go out with me wearing this costume?" he grinned, looking like a little boy on Christmas morning.

"Don't push your luck, pal," she said, shoving him playfully in the chest. But when Amanda and Jessica's giggles gave away the fact that they were still watching her every move, she grabbed the front of his shirt forcefully. "What do you say we give these crazy room-mates of mine something more interesting to watch?" Before he could respond she kissed him again and this time there was most definitely tongue. "Now you're gonna have to be my Batman to Amanda's party," she gasped when the need for air became too great. "It was a trap and you are so busted!"

"If you think being Batman is a punishment for me then you have a lot to learn, Sara Kay."

"I can't wait," she said, leaning into his arms with a contented sigh. "Teach away, Mr. Evans."

**A / N Here we have some nerdy dating fluff, enjoy! xx**


	7. Library Love - February 2008

**Library Love**

"No running in the library," snapped the elderly librarian at the welcome desk of Lilly's without looking up from her computer. It was the most common haunt for the creatively inclined students at Duke University, hosting an impressive collection of art and history study resources.

"Sara, calm down," Jessica Parker urged, gripping the hassled blonde's shoulders firmly when her roommate skidded to a halt in front of the crabby Mrs. Turner's desk. "We'll get the book back, don't worry." She tucked a loose strand of her long brown hair behind her ear and glanced at the old woman glaring at them through beady eyes from behind wire-rimmed glasses. "Hi, Mrs. Turner," she said cheerfully. "How are you on this fine day?"

"It's Monday and I have the entire art history shelf to catalogue before the section is renovated, how do you think I am?" the woman snapped irritably. "The area is already closed to students, Miss Kay," she warned Sara, who had pulled away from Jessica's soothing grip and was walking hastily towards the shelf where she knew the book she needed was located.

"I know, ma'am," the blonde nodded shakily. "When Jessica returned our books this morning one of the ones I was using had a very personal bookmark in it. I don't want to borrow anything…I just need to get that back, please," she begged desperately.

"What bookmark?" Jessica asked curiously, now ignoring the scowl on the librarian's face. "You never mentioned that, you just kind of freaked out on me back at the dorm."

"I know and I'm sorry," Sara told her, still staring pleadingly at the stern Mrs. Turner. "It was one of the last pictures I took with Izzie before she started looking really ill. It's as special to her as it is to me, I can't lose that picture!"

"Can't you do something, Mrs. Turner?" Jessica appealed to the librarian on her friend's behalf. "Her older sister has cancer, you know," she explained, lowering her voice before adding. "Who knows how many more pictures they'll have together?"

"I really can't afford to go making a mess back there, Miss Parker," the librarian told her, but her strict gaze did finally soften when Sara turned her back on them, shaking and none too subtly swiping stray tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, but it's a lot more trouble to locate the book she needs than it's worth."

"Please, Mrs. Turner, I'm begging you to help me find that bookmark," Sara tried again, unable to stop her voice trembling with desperation now.

Before the older woman could respond to the pleas, the sound of footsteps tapping down the stairs from the quiet study area above made both girls look up. Before long, twenty year old Clay Evans emerged from behind a towering mahogany shelf. "Hey girls," he said, shooting the pair of them a tired smile. "Thought I heard your voices, how's it going?"

"Not bad," Jessica shrugged casually. "You look like hell, mate. No offence," she giggled, eyeing his messy sandy hair.

"Too wiped out to be offended, it's your lucky day," Clay told her with a half-hearted eye roll. "Uh…Sara, are you okay?"

The blonde nodded quickly and pointed at the thick book he was clutching to his chest. "Is that the new Picasso biography?" she asked faintly.

"Yeah," Clay grimaced; "This dude is kicking my ass, art history is what we call a necessary evil."

"Speak for yourself, Evans," Jessica smirked at him, flinching when Sara suddenly gripped her arm hard. "Ouch! Sara, what the hell?"

"That's the book I just had…the one with the picture in it," the blonde explained hastily, her words tripping over each other in the intense relief of the moment.

"What are you talking about?" Clay asked with a perplexed frown.

"Do you mind if I take a quick look at that?" Sara asked urgently, reaching for the book with shaking hands. "It's really important."

"Go ahead," he shrugged and handed the book to her. Mrs. Turner had returned to her computer during the entire exchange and now spared Sara a scandalized glance when the blonde began to rifle manically through the pages of the book. "What are you looking for?" Clay asked when she was done and the brief flicker of hope in her hazel eyes had dimmed once more.

"Did you happen to find a picture of me somewhere in this book?" she asked hopefully.

"Picasso was a bit before your time, don't you think?" he laughed, but quickly stopped at the grim look on her face. "Okay…sorry, bad joke. Um…what kind of picture is it?"

"It was of me and my sister," Sara explained wearily. "You remember me telling you about Izzie, right? So this is one of the last really nice pictures of us. It's of the two of us in our garden back home in Raleigh, we were wearing daisy chains. Have you seen it?"

"Sara, I don't think that's-," Jessica began gently, feeling guilty that her returning all their books at once had inadvertently caused her friend so much distress. But then Clay smiled sheepishly and the comprehension dawning on his face cut her off mid-sentence. "Okay…dude, am I missing something here?"

"My brains must be more fried than I thought," Clay murmured vaguely, dropping his backpack on the floor with a thud and tugging open an outer zip. "I totally found that. I was going to come find you later and give it back…I guess this is a lucky meeting."

"How is that possible?" Jessica mused; glancing up at the watchful librarian's perpetually disapproving expression. "You said we couldn't check the book out. How come he got to use it if the section was off limits?"

"He didn't check it out," the older woman explained irritably. "And also didn't whine I might add," she said with a pointed glance at Sara. "I have no problem with people actually studying upstairs." The rest of the grouchy old woman's justifications faded into a sudden gasp of horror. "I do have a problem with that, Miss Kay!"

Jessica whipped around at the librarian's outraged expression and grinned. Overwhelmed by relief to have her treasured photograph back, Sara had tackled Clay so suddenly she almost knocked him flat. Her curtain of blonde hair partially obscured their faces so that only the tips of his ears were visible, glowing a tell-tale red. The British brunette stepped up next to Sara and snapped her fingers; "Oi! Break it up, Romeo and Juliet. You guys are going to give poor Mrs. T a heart attack here," she laughed when her friends parted, both blushing.

"I'll take that as a thank you, huh?" Clay teased, slipping an arm around Sara's shoulders affectionately. "Sorry Mrs. Turner, we'll get out of your hair now."

"Oh, you have no idea," Sara said fervently. "That doesn't even begin to cover how much I need to thank you for this, really."

"Don't mind me, guys," Jessica called after the pair, very familiar with the deep connection Clay and Sara shared that made them oblivious to anything else. "Cheer up, Mrs T, young love is pretty, eh?" she smirked at the librarian and skipped out of the library on her own.

"How about some ice cream to un-fry those brains of yours?" Sara suggested, her hazel eyes sparkling with pure adoration. "My treat, I so owe you for finding my picture."

"You need to lose things more often if this is the thanks I get," Clay joked as they stepped out onto the sunny campus grounds. "Ice cream sounds great."

"As long as you're not on my list of things I could lose, I'm okay with that," Sara said softly, tugging him towards the shade of a sheltered corner of the grounds.

"That can be arranged, I'm definitely not going anywhere," Clay moaned, the words muffled against her lips when she pinned him to the boundary wall of the campus grounds. And the fact that ice cream would just have to wait became an unspoken agreement in the whirlwind of their love.

**A / N So a prompt on my online creative writing course about difficulties getting a library book led to this Clara drabble, I ship them so hard! Enjoy all xx**


	8. For One So Small - September 2010

**For One So Small**

It was a sunny day in September that found Clay Evans painting his first-born's future nursery walls. Even though the protective plastic sheets covering the floor were a mess, Clay couldn't help being proud of how the sky-blue paint covering more and more of the wall space was turning out. From the living room, the opening song of Tarzan met his ears and Clay smirked as his brush continued to smoothly move across the wall. Seven months pregnant now, Sara had developed an obsession with her childhood favorite Disney films.

He had given her strict instructions not to set foot in the nursery until the day he said it was okay, so anything that kept her glued to the couch was fine by him. She had her cell phone handy, since moving was becoming increasingly taxing at her size, and Clay was constantly on the alert for his ringtone to break the silence. It was barely five minutes later that the call came and Clay pounced on his phone; "You need something, angel?"

"Yeah…you," said his wife's muffled voice thickly and Clay could have sworn she was sniffling.

"I'll be right there." Without a moment's hesitation, Clay disconnected the call and tossed his paintbrush aside. Then he charged down the hall to the living room and screeched to an astonished halt near the kitchen counter. The animated film on the wall-mounted television was paused on a shot of a very dejected looking gorilla, standing alone at the top of a hill. Sara was propped up on the couch, hugging a cushion to her belly with her feet resting on the coffee table in front of her. Her lips were actually quivering as one finger toyed with a strand of her blonde curls in apparent agitation. "Sara, are you crying?" he asked in disbelief, looking from the television screen to his wife in amusement.

"Kala's baby is dead," the blonde wailed, without looking at him; "What if something happens to our baby, Clay?"

"Kala is a fictional gorilla, sweetheart," he pointed out. "We don't live in the jungle for starters." She shifted awkwardly to make room for him on the couch and Clay ended up with Sara's swollen feet in his lap. Rubbing the soles of her feet gently, he continued; "Secondly, do you really think I'd ever let anything happen to this little guy?" He glanced at the frozen image of Kala's misery on the screen; "Besides, isn't the whole point of this story that she adopts Tarzan anyway?"

"You're a saint," Sara moaned in pleasure with her eyes closed as the ache in her feet subsided. "I guess that's true. But even Tarzan's parents were killed. Oh God, what if something happens to us? What will happen to our baby then?"

"Stop it, you goof," he said firmly. "We're not going anywhere, okay? This baby is going to be to be safe and loved forever. Forever is a very long time you know," he winked and Sara finally looked at him properly. Very abruptly a grin broke out on her face, followed by one of the adorable giggles that had made him fall in love with her when they first met. "That's better," he said affectionately. "What's so funny?"

In response Sara trailed her thumb across his forehead and showed him the smudge of blue it came away with. "You just gave away the color of the nursery I think," she laughed. "You look like Harry Potter, just with a blue scar."

"Damn," he groaned. "Trust me it looks way better on the walls than it does on me." He placed his hand tenderly on her belly and grinned at the fluttering kicks against his palm; "I hope you like blue, little man. It's Superman's color, you know."

"You're such a dork," she sighed affectionately. "Please don't tell me you want to name our son Clark."

"There's nothing wrong with the name Clark," he protested. "But no, you know I love Batman and Wolverine best," he smirked at her exasperated eye roll.

"What am I going to do with you?" she teased. She frowned thoughtfully for a moment; "Hang on, wasn't Batman's real name Bruce?" she shuddered involuntarily. "I refuse to put my baby through that, sorry."

"Lucky for you Wolverine is the best then," he told her. Her gaze was focused on the film again, where Kala's mate and leader of the gorillas was now rejecting the human baby. Clay rolled his eyes affectionately as Sara's hazel eyes filled with tears again. He reached across her vast figure carefully and grabbed the remote to pause the film again. "Focus angel," he laughed, kissing away the tears on her cheeks gently.

Sara grabbed his hand when he tried to move away and held it against her huge baby bump again. "Promise you'll never reject our son like that," she begged quaveringly, nodding at the television screen.

"That's offensive, I'll have you know. I won't let anyone else ever hurt our kid if I can help it and I certainly won't reject him. In two months you'll no longer be my favorite person in the whole world, fair warning," he told her solemnly.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, holding out her hand to him in apology. He pressed his large palm flat against her dainty one, just like Tarzan and Jane did in the movie and she smiled appreciatively. "I just want him to be safe and happy more than anything in the world. I'm perfectly happy being second on your list of favorite people if he's at the top."

"He will be, I promise," Clay swore, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "As long as his sappy goofball of a Mom stops crying, that is." One minute Sara was gazing adoringly at him and the next tearing up again, he couldn't help but find it amusing. Clay glanced at the television and then at his wife once more; "This movie is so bad for your hormones," he said decisively and she punched his shoulder playfully. "I'm serious, stop with the murdered parents and dead gorilla babies already. Where are your shoes? I have an idea, meet me in the yard," he said mysteriously.

After helping her carefully to her feet, Clay vanished outside and left his wife hunting for a comfortable pair of sneakers, utterly confused. When she had located a pair of shoes that still fit, she waddled slowly into the garden. Even Clay had used the time to change into a grey t-shirt not smeared with blue paint and was now seated on one of two wooden chairs he had dragged from the deck to the middle of the lawn. He patted the very considerately padded spare seat beside him and grinned goofily at her approaching figure. "What on earth are you doing?" she asked him, noticing the camera balanced on his lap as she drew closer to the chairs and lowered herself gingerly into the vacant one.

"We are going to take some pictures," Clay explained enthusiastically, waving the camera in her face. "I figured with a picture of both of us in the nursery with him, our little guy will always feel safe. We can be like guardian angels," he beamed proudly. "Cool, right?"

"You are incapable of cool, Clay Evans," she laughed as his excited grin gave way to an offended pout. Holding his head tenderly between her hands, she pressed her lips firmly to his and kissed him until the need for oxygen broke the streak of passion.

"Wow," he blinked at her in awe. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

"That was for being you," she said simply. "My hero and his," she said, nodding at her bulging belly. He caressed the bump lovingly as Sara grabbed the camera from his lap. "Can I take the first one?" she asked eagerly and Clay nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, but you have to turn it around to take a selfie," he pointed out.

"Duly noted, Einstein," she shot back with a teasing roll of her deep hazel eyes. "Just come closer and give me that boyish grin of yours, clear?"

"I can totally do that." He leaned obligingly closer to her across the two armrests between them, as Sara held the camera up at an angle. "On the count of two?"

"You know it." She shot him a dazzling smile and pressed a kiss to his cheek before adjusting the flash settings on the camera. "It's kind of our thing, after all." The twenty-four year couple had first met as college sophomores five years previously, when urged by daredevil friends to participate in jumping off a bridge near the university campus, into a lake. Clay and Sara had both been reluctant and terrified to perform the stunt and held hands to dive in unison. Adrenaline had prompted their first kiss in the chilly water and there had been no going back from that moment. Clay had actually been raised with the habit to do anything on the count of two rather than three, but since that fateful jump it was irrevocably their thing. When the camera flash indicated a shot had been taken, Sara eagerly turned the camera around to preview her handiwork. Her rosy lips quivered in displeasure at what she saw; "Ugh, I look like a whale," she moaned pitifully, setting the camera down on her lap and glaring at it, as if the device had personally offended her.

"Let me see that," Clay smirked, shaking his head at her adorable pout. He grabbed the camera and narrowed his eyes intently at the preview screen in mock-scrutiny. "I don't see any whales here," he said in a serious voice, but his dark blue eyes were sparkling in amusement. "There's just a knucklehead and his angel…and a growing little superhero of course."

"You're sweet," Sara told him, pressing her head against his shoulder as he prepared the next shot. "I guess photography isn't my thing, we look headless," she laughed at the failed photograph.

"Yeah," he nodded, trailing his fingers across her shoulder blades. "My next wife will be a much better photographer," he joked and Sara pulled away from the embrace and glared at him.

"Clay! That was rude," she protested. She traced the wedding band on his finger and squeezed his hand tightly; "You're mine, you knucklehead, don't you dare forget who proposed in the first place."

"Never," he promised solemnly. "Come closer or we'll be headless again, you goof."

Sara placed her hand on his shoulder and tilted her head towards him with another huge smile. "One…two," she counted softly and then there was another flash.

"Would you look at that?" Clay crowed triumphantly. "Our heads are back, that is how it's done, baby!"

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," she groaned and arched her back slowly.

"You okay?"

"Your son is a kicker," she laughed. "Do you mind if we go back inside? My back is killing me."

"Your wish is my command," he joked and pulled her carefully to her feet. He kept his arm firmly around her as they walked back along the stone path to the front door and in no time the pair was back on the living room couch. Clay placed his hand gently against her belly once more as Sara adjusted the cushions behind her; "Hey Wolverine, stop hurting your mother, right now," he demanded sternly. "It's not nice."

"Don't you have work to be getting on with, Mr. Super Agent?" Sara asked him, attempting to punch the cushion behind her into a comfortable shape.

"It can wait," he said simply. "I have a better idea, come here." He grabbed the cushion she had been trying to pummel into submission and placed it on his knees. Sara smiled and laid her head on his lap, before reaching for the television remote again. The Disney film had been paused throughout their photoshoot distraction. "How's that?" Clay asked softly.

"Perfect," she murmured. "You're the best." He stroked her hair gently as she watched the film commence. "I love Kala's lullaby so much," she sighed contentedly. "Junior has even stopped squirming, he must like it too."

"If you say so," Clay laughed, watching a bright blue butterfly settle on baby Tarzan's nose and spread its wings. He held his hand against her belly as Sara closed her eyes; "It is a good song," he admitted. "You'll be here in my heart."

"Now and forever more," Sara whispered sleepily and placed her hand on top of his against the baby bump. And in that moment she finally stopped projecting fictional murders into fear for her baby and felt completely safe. "I love you, Clay Evans."

"I love us," he said tenderly. "Our kid will be just fine, angel, I promise!"

**A / N This is my first Clara pregnancy fluff that wasn't a tiny flashback. Tarzan is my favorite Disney film and the song actually means a lot to me so it was really sappy to write. More related pieces coming soon, enjoy! xx**


	9. If Walls Could Talk - October 2010

**If Walls Could Talk **

He could not contend with overly concerned parents, Clay Evans decided as he watched one such mother guiding her college-aged son out of his office. Kyle Irving had potential, but he also had a family depending on his success as an athlete. Clay had seen the enthusiasm and joy for the game in the young basketball player's eyes but his mother was another story. Much as he respected a guy who valued his mother's opinion, it could sometimes make his job a lot harder.

The taste of failure was still bitter his mouth when he saw his boss hovering disapprovingly outside his room. Thankfully his young assistant Callie warded the judgmental man off for him; the girl was an asset barely two months into the job. He saw her answer the phone at her desk and prepared himself for an incoming call just in case. Sure enough, seconds later the line was passed on. "Who is it, Callie?"

"It's Sara, boss," said the blonde and the usual surge of pleasure that came with hearing from his wife was accompanied by a burst of nerves. Sara was currently eight months pregnant with their first child and Clay hated working even two hours away from home as a result. Who knew with babies, right?

He gestured to Callie to connect him and picked up the phone nervously. "Hi angel," said quickly. "Are you okay? Is it the baby?"

"I should hope not, you goof, there's like a month to go," she giggled. "I just have a really important question. Do you have a minute?"

Clay let out a sigh of a relief before responding. "For you I have all the time in the world. What's up?"

"You're sweet," she told him and just picturing her loving eyes made him feel better about how badly work was going today. "What's Wolverine's real name?"

"That's the all-important question?" he said incredulously. "Why didn't you just look it up?"

"I want to hear it from you, you dork. It's for a good cause, I promise."

"You're a funny one, Sara Kay," he laughed. "It's Logan, if you really must know. Why the sudden curiosity anyway?"

"You'll see," she told him mysteriously. "I should let you get back to work, my super-agent. See you tonight, babe. I love you."

"I love you too. Take care of the junior knucklehead."

"Obviously. You'll have to share a very big piece of my heart with him soon enough."

"Noted." Clay smiled to himself; "I'm totally okay with that. I'll be home as soon as I can. Bye angel."

The mysterious phone call from his wife lifted Clay's spirits for a very short while. It wasn't long before his boss Ken Arthur cornered him for a lecture on caving in to overprotective parents' demands. Emotions had no room in the corporate man's agenda and he made sure Clay was aware of the fact multiple times by the end of the day. It was getting dark by the time he was ready to drive back to Raleigh from the Tree Hill-based office. A tense grimace in lieu of a smile was all he could manage when Callie held the elevator for him.

"Rough day, huh?" she said conversationally. "Mr. Arthur can be such a hardass. I thought you were doing really well with Mrs. Irving for a while there."

"I really wasn't," Clay told her dully. "You have a lot to learn, Callie."

"I'm sure I do, but for what it's worth you had me sold on that proposal. Don't dwell on it, okay? My Mom always says every day is a chance to try again and do better."

"Smart woman. It's a shame Mrs. Irving isn't more like her, with business you get one chance to impress and that's it."

"Wait for the next first impression to walk in then, I guess," said Callie, for of course that was the only solution. "See you tomorrow, boss."

Feeling disappointed in spite of his assistant's encouraging words, Clay moved towards his Stingray and began the journey home. The two hour drive back to Raleigh was spent going over every detail of the meeting with Kyle Irving in his mind. By the time he reached home the simple failure of the day had been built up into something that rattled more than just his professional confidence. When he swept into the apartment he shared with Sara and deposited his keys on the peg by the door, a rustling noise from the direction of the bedrooms caught his attention.

"Sara?" he called curiously, moving towards the sound. His heavily pregnant wife was leaning against the future nursery door when he reached down the hall. "Hey there, beautiful," he said, feeling his troubles melt away at the sight of her coy smile. "What are you doing over here? Can't get enough of the nursery since I wouldn't let you see it for so long?"

"Something like that, yeah," she nodded and drew as close to him as her bulging belly would allow. "It's just perfect."

"I'm glad you approve." The bump acted like a buffer between them and placing his hand against it Clay found himself calming down even further. "How's our Wolverine today?"

"I think he can't wait to start kicking the world's butt," she laughed. "He squirms…a lot. How was his Dad's day?"

"Could have been better," Clay sighed and as usual something about the look in Sara's eyes compelled him to spill his guts. "Your call was pretty much the nicest part of the day. I was supposed to convince this rookie basketball player to sign with us today and I couldn't do it. He was straight out of college and his mother wasn't a fan of my proposal. I guess the real world doesn't believe much in integrity, character and heart." He hesitated, reluctant to voice the fear his failure of the day had unleashed.

"That's their loss then, isn't it? Someone else will believe in all those important things. He's hardly going to be your only client to impress," said Sara firmly and squeezed his fingers gently. "Is something else wrong?"

"How the hell do you that, angel?" he marveled and wrapped his arms around her vast frame.

"I can always tell when you're hiding something, remember?" she reminded him. "Surprises, lies, general problems, I'm just that good."

"Modest you are not, babe," he smiled in spite of himself. "Actually…it's kind of silly. I guess failing to sign this kid just starting out on the path to greatness today made me doubt if I'll be able to teach our kid the important things in life, you know? He had so much potential but I couldn't even convince his mother it was a good deal."

"Clay," she began, looking pained at the defeat in his tone and putting that look on her face just made him feel worse. "That's not going to be a problem, okay? We have a great kid on the way, I can feel it. Failing to get one contract signed has nothing to do with your abilities as a parent."

"But how do you know that? It feels like exactly the same thing." He looked so desperate for reassurance that Sara decided there was no time like the present to reveal what she had really been up to all day.

"I just do," she said simply and took his hand before shoving the nursery door open. "It's not the same thing at all, trust me. Now, close your eyes and get in here. I have something to show you."

Confused, Clay did as she asked and let her guide him into the nursery. "No peeking," she insisted and he heard the plastic sheeting protecting the floors while the paint on the walls dried rustling underfoot. "Okay, stop here," she said finally and Clay heard a strange scraping and clanging noise while Sara pressed her hands over his eyes. "On the count of two," she whispered in his ear and he smiled in spite of the terrible day because she valued their thing so deeply. "One…two!"

With that Sara lowered her hands and Clay opened his eyes. Almost immediately he felt his jaw drop in awed delight. His father in-law was standing near the already assembled crib and from the way it was positioned slightly crooked, Clay guessed it had just been shoved back into place. "Behold the finishing touches to this lovely room," said Sam, gesturing at the wall. "And don't worry; I made sure Sara didn't handle the paint at all. You can thank her for the little paper chains on the rails of the crib, see?" The older man pointed at the decorations in question, but Clay kept gaping at the wall.

"This is a good silence, I'm guessing?" Sara smirked, kissing his cheek to end the stunned reaction. "It looks amazing, Daddy. Thanks for your help." She smiled at the wall where the name Logan glistened in fresh white paint on the light blue backdrop, the letters shaped like fluffy white clouds. "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Clay repeated faintly. "Are you kidding me, angel? I love it! Are you serious about this?"

"Of course," Sara nodded. "He's our little superhero, our Logan." She placed one hand over her baby bump; "Hey Wolverine, tell Daddy you believe in him, would you?" Seconds later she grabbed Clay's hand and placed it against her belly. "He listened to me, feel that?"

"Oh my God," Clay whispered, falling more in love with his wife than he ever would have believed possible when her eyes sparkled with pure adoration. "That's my Wolverine."

"We believe in you," said Sara simply and he welcomed her kiss with pleasure. "You're already my hero, Clay. In a few weeks you'll be his too, you'll see." Overcome with love and excitement, Clay lifted his wife slightly off her feet and twirled in a careful circle. He was only distantly aware that Sam had snapped a picture of the moment, for right then nothing else mattered but the woman about to give him the most precious gift in the world.

**A / N This one is an expansion of a Clara flashback I put in chapter 21 of my multi-chapter fic This Time Tomorrow. Enjoy all! xx**


	10. Snow Angels - December 2010

**Snow Angels**

"Sweetheart, you're going out into the yard, not another planet." Sara Evans bit her lip sheepishly at her mother in-law's words, her twinkling hazel eyes fixated on her one month old baby boy asleep in the older woman's arms. "Relax and have some fun, it's good for you."

"It feels really good, doesn't it?" she sighed at last. "Holding him, I mean. I could just never let go."

"It does," Marie agreed, smiling at the tiny baby clutching the fabric of her shirt in his fist as he slept. "He's clingy, just like Clay was. Oh, this takes me back like you wouldn't believe."

"I think he looks like him too," said Sara fondly. "That's basically yet another reason for me to be completely in love with him."

"Who are you completely in love with?" Clay's voice came drifting down the hall towards the nursery and when Sara turned he was leaning in the doorway, the boyish grin that melted her heart firmly in place. "I'm not very good at sharing, angel."

"Well you're just gonna have to learn then," she told him, sensing Marie's smile as she watched them from the armchair in the corner of the room. "I warned you a month ago babe, Wolverine was due to steal my heart. The deed is done whether you like it or not."

"Damn, you were the first girl to ever give me the time of day and here my one month old is stealing hearts. How is this fair?" Clay joked, tugging her close enough to snake his arms around her waist. Even through the thick winter jacket he was wearing, Sara could feel his heart faintly pounding. "He clearly takes after his Mom that way."

"Your mother thinks he's just like you, actually," Sara corrected him. "If she wasn't so completely in heaven just getting to hold him I don't think I'd be able to walk out that door right now. I have to learn how to share him myself apparently."

"Well yeah, you were swearing all through summer that you'd be the first one out the door when it finally snowed. What happened to that, hmm?"

"The person who said those things was four months pregnant at the height of summer and didn't know any better," Sara protested. "It was so worth it. I mean, just look at our little sunshine over there. I can hardly believe he's real sometimes."

"Oh, he's definitely real," said Clay softly, stepping around her towards the armchair where his mother sat with the baby. "We made him," he said, stroking Logan's cheek gently with the tip of his finger. "And he's like the most perfect thing in the universe…besides you of course."

"Nice try, honey," Sara giggled, the sweet sight making her heart swell with overwhelming love and affection for her family. "Face it; you're just as crazy about him as I am."

"You're both crazy," Marie interrupted, laughing when Clay pouted at her. "The snow looks beautiful out there. Go and play, we're fine here." Clay opened his mouth to protest, but his mother cut across him before he could say a word. "Honey, need I remind you I've done this three times before? You turned out alright, if I do say so myself. Knucklehead moments are in your blood, we won't hold them against you."

"Mom!" Clay gasped, whipping around to glare at his wife when Sara burst out laughing behind him. "Why do you choose to hurt me like this?"

"I like knuckleheads," Sara whispered seductively in his ear and even though he was already dressed for the cold outside, her tone sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine. Squeezing his shoulder gently, she finally backed out of the nursery. "Come on, she's got a point. It's not like we're going very far, there's so much snow out there Logan can even watch the fun if he does wake up."

"That's exactly what I've been saying," said Marie, shaking her head fondly at their overprotective antics. "Time goes so fast, before you know it he'll be old enough to play in the snow with you. I can only hope you get your snowman-building skills from me. The one time your father tried to help you kids, the thing ended up looking more like an anthill."

"Oh God, I remember that," Clay laughed, keeping his doting gaze on Logan as his mother moved towards the kitchen window for a better view of their fun. He was so busy staring adoringly at the tiny baby; Clay didn't even realize that Sara's infectious giggles had long since faded away in the distance. The knowing twinkle in his mother's bright blue eyes should have been a warning, but Clay still let out a shocked gasp when a freezing clump of snow hit him hard in the back. "Ah!" When he spun around, his wife was peeking out from behind a big tree at the other end of the lawn with a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, you'll pay for that one, Sara Kay," he warned her and finally took a menacing step into the crisp winter air.

"Evans," she called back teasingly, unfazed by the threat. "Hit me with your best shot, babe."

Clay smiled over his shoulder at Logan still nuzzled against his grandmother's chest before taking the bait. "Mommy's asking for it now, isn't she, Wolverine?"

"Clay, that's cheating," Sara whined from across the snow-covered lawn. "You're the one who said to ease off the kid, traitor!"

"Just making sure he's on my team," Clay winked as he finally bent down to scoop up a handful of snow. "It's payback time angel, watch your back."

"Bring it on," Sara laughed, shaking snow from the solid tree branch above her head into her hand as ammunition. She stepped out from behind the tree trunk carefully and launched her snowball at the exact same time as Clay sent his flying towards her. "Well that was artistic," she mused when the two clumps of snow collided in mid-air and disintegrated, neither meeting their original targets.

"Nice aim," Clay told her mock-teasingly. "Even your snowball is in love with mine, give in to temptation and save us all the trouble of getting really cold."

"Where's the fun in that?" Sara shot back and danced out from behind her tree as he watched in amusement. "Warming up is the best part." She twirled gracefully towards him with her tongue sticking out to catch the occasional snowflake. "Don't you think?"

"Hell yeah," Clay moaned when she reached him and looped her arms around his neck.

Suddenly the opening strains of Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground drifted out to them from the open window. "Your Mom is psychic," said Sara gleefully. "I love this song."

"It could also be the fact that very few other records ever see the light of day in this house," Clay pointed out, returning his mother's wave and staring at Logan's tiny figure in her arms for a moment.

"Whatever," Sara said dismissively. "Dance with me, you goof!"

"Now?"

"No, next year," she said sarcastically. "Yes now, dummy." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips; "Unless you're not up to the challenge of keeping me warm that is."

"Is that seriously a challenge, angel?" he teased. "Careful what you wish for, I might never let you go."

"That's what I'm hoping," Sara whispered, pressing her head against the padding of his jacket as they began to sway in unison. "I love you, you know?"

"I kind of love you too," he replied. "This is forever, I promise."

"It better be," she said, grinning when he kept a firm hold on one of her hands so she could spin away from him and land safely back in his arms. "I'll make a dancer of you yet, Clay Evans."

"I know you have many talents, angel, but me and world class dancing is absolutely not in the cards, I'm sorry to say," he laughed.

"I'll show you talents," Sara smirked, backing away from him as she spoke. Stretching her arms out to her sides, the blonde flopped into the deep layer of snow coating the lawn. "This angel loves angels," she said, spreading her arms and legs wide to form a classic snow angel. "It'll give you some work to do later, Mr. Warm Up," she giggled breathlessly up at him.

"Why later?" Clay demanded with a teasing glint in his dark blue eyes. "You don't get to be all pink-cheeked cuteness and expect me to ignore it, angel. Good try."

Sara's eyes widened as he knelt at her feet and leaned forward, pinning her arms to the ground so he could reach her lips uninterrupted. "Oh no," the blonde squealed. "God, that's freezing…I hate you!"

"Getting snow down the back of your jacket?" he laughed mischievously. "I was just giving Mr. Warm Up a real job to do, you know," he said as Sara's teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

"Shut up and kiss me, you knucklehead," Sara moaned insistently, sitting up when he finally released her. "That's what you get for ruining my perfect snow angel, idiot."

"Sure, whatever you say," Clay murmured, too busy sucking on her rosy lips to speak for a moment. "That's where I have an advantage, you know. Nothing can stop my angel from being perfect every minute of every day."

"Good line," Sara admitted grudgingly as Clay stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Very smooth, I knew there was a reason I love you."

"That can't be the only reason," he pouted, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"Well no." Sara leaned back against his chest with a contented sigh. "The biggest reason is over there, actually," she said, nodding at the window where Marie was still holding Logan and watching them with a smile. "And you're kind of a super-agent, right?" she winked. "We did alright, didn't we?"

"I'd say we did great," Clay corrected her. "Come on, let's go freeze the kid and see how tough he really is."

"Hey, no freezing my baby," Sara protested, punching his arm playfully. "You're officially Mr. Warm Up now, bring on the cuddles!"

"Our baby," Clay smiled, pressing her close to him as they headed back inside. "Your wish is my command. Lead the way, angel."

_A little while later_

"You two are impossible," said Marie, shaking her head at Clay as he sipped the coffee Sara had made him before curling against his shoulder as if she never intended to move again. "Logan's not even awake yet and you're already back inside."

"It's cold out there," Clay pointed defensively, smiling at the tiny bundle his mother was still clutching protectively. She sat in the single armchair while he and Sara were sprawled on the grey leather couch. "I stuffed snow down Sara's jacket so she said I owe her a warm up cuddle. I'm definitely not complaining."

"I can see that," Marie smiled, wrapping the baby blanket Logan had inherited from Clay's older sister Lily more snugly around him. It was a pale yellow with little blue flowers embroidered on it, the pattern surrounding the initials L.E in a curly white-threaded font.

"That thing is definitely the best present he got," said Sara softly. "It's so pretty."

"He seems to love it as much as his Aunt Lily did," Marie agreed, running her finger carefully across the letters. "It's lucky you chose a name beginning with L so it works for him."

"Oh no, that is absolutely not luck," Sara laughed, shaking her head at Clay's proud grin. "Thank the creator of X-Men for that one. Your son is kind of a huge nerd, don't you know?"

"Shut up, you love it," Clay pointed out. "I didn't force you to put those epic finishing touches to the nursery, did I?"

"No, that's true," Sara agreed. "I just love you, silly. And with the superhero name he's guaranteed greatness, it felt right."

"I think he's guaranteed greatness with you for a Mom," said Clay seriously. "The name can only do so much."

"Oh I don't know, I think his Dad is pretty great too." Sara shifted just enough for him to lean down and kiss her lips. "I wouldn't have given up my number one spot on your list of favorite people for anybody else."

"Well obviously he's the only one who could knock you off the top of the list. He's kind of special."

"He's special and he's awake," Marie chipped in, interrupting the loving exchange when the baby in her arms began to whimper. "Hi there, little man. Do you want your Mommy?"

"Of course he does," said Clay knowingly. "You've got your priorities straight already, bud." He moved aside so that Marie could hand the baby into Sara's waiting arms. She held Logan against her shoulder and rubbed his back gently until the half-hearted whimpers ceased. When the danger of a tantrum had passed, Clay slipped his arm around her again and stared down at the tiny human who had stolen the biggest piece of his heart since the day he met Sara. "This right here is the best early Christmas present of all time."

His wife glanced at him with a smile so full of love; he felt his heart might explode at the sight of it. The diamond on her engagement ring caught the winter sunlight through the window. Watching the glint of the jewel reflect off the walls as she stroked Logan's stomach, Clay knew he had everything he could have ever wished for in this very room.

**A / N Whenever my inspiration dries up I expand Clara flashbacks now, part of this featured in Chapter 14 of my multi-chapter fic This Time Tomorrow. Enjoy! xx**


	11. Sara's Death Part 1 - July 2011

**Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground – Part 1**

The pilot's painfully cheery voice over the plane's loudspeakers roused Lily Potter from a fitful sleep with the announcement that the British flight would soon be landing in Raleigh. With a groan the redhead flipped up the shutter of the window she was seated next to and grimaced at the clouds glowing with the light of a beautiful sunset.

"It's not right," remarked a quavering voice on her right and Lily glanced at her travel companion sadly; "The sky should not look that pretty right now. In the movies it always rains at funerals, I need the freaking symbolism." With that Jessica Parker jabbed a button on her in-flight entertainment screen and yanked off her headphones. "I can't believe this is happening, it's just…unreal."

"Did you sleep at all?" Lily asked, squeezing her friend's shaking fingers sympathetically and Jessica shook her head. "We're almost there, it's either going to feel more real once we arrive or be harder than ever."

"How are you so calm, Lils?" the brunette asked her enviously. She jerked her thumb in the direction of her monitor; "The flight is even showing the very last Harry Potter movie at the moment. It's a brand new release for the last time ever and it can't even keep me distracted. Do you know how much that sucks? I've been looking forward to it for months."

"I'm practicing staying as calm possible because that's what Clay is going to need from me right now," Lily told her softly. "It's a movie, Jess…you can't expect it to eclipse the death of your best friend. The whole thing really, really sucks and that's all there is to it."

"Stop!" Jessica hissed and hunched over gasping just as the plane touched down with a jolt. Lily pressed a soothing hand against her back as the girl covered her eyes with clammy palms. "I bet even Louisa took the news better than this, pathetic I know." The flight attendant bidding them farewell was ignored as the distressed duo left the aircraft. Linking her arm with Jessica's, Lily drifted into thoughts of her sudden departure from England in the face of this tragedy.

_The previous day_

"_Louisa Potter, get back here right this instant," Lily demanded, chasing after her giggling seven year old. The raven-haired girl was the spitting image of her father except for Lily's sparkling emerald eyes, now glinting with an air of mischief. "It's eight o' clock and certain little girls need to be in bed."_

_"That's no fun, Mummy," Louisa pouted, bouncing down the stairs towards James' study. "I'm going to be eight soon, you know. I think I deserve a later bedtime." James spun his swivel chair around at the commotion, just in time to catch the energetic little girl. "Don't I, Daddy?"  
_

_"What's this about?" he laughed, quickly stopping at the half-amused, half-impatient look on Lily's face as she watched the scene from the doorway.  
_

_"Your daughter is protesting bedtime," Lily told him, shaking her head in exasperation as Louisa turned a full-blown pleading face on her father. "Don't you dare fall for her tricks, Potter!"  
_

_"You're going to get me in trouble too, munchkin," James groaned, tweaking Louisa's nose affectionately to make her laugh. "Listen to your Mum, it's safer for everyone. And I will get that," he announced, nudging his daughter off his knees to answer the phone ringing in the hallway. He could hear the little girl still protesting her defeat all the way back up the stairs and couldn't help but smile as he picked up the receiver; "Hello?"_

_After kissing Louisa goodnight, Lily stepped back out into the corridor connecting the bedrooms and almost collided with James. It struck her immediately how pale and shocked he looked and she frowned in concern; "What's wrong, babe? You look like you've seen a ghost. Who was it on the phone?"  
_

_"Your mother," he said faintly. "She said Sara died a few hours ago."  
_

_"What?!" Lily squeaked and her palms pressed flat against the closed door behind her. "How?"  
_

_"Doctors said it was an undiagnosed aneurysm apparently," James said softly, but he wasn't looking her in the eye. Following his gaze downwards Lily realized her knees were trembling violently and let him pull her into a soothing hug.  
_

_"Did…did you talk to Clay?" she asked finally, when she had managed a deep, steadying breath.  
_

_James shook his head grimly; "Your Mum said he's in shock, really can't blame the guy. Sara collapsed in front of him apparently. I quote: Tell Lily her brother needs her," he finished. "God, what a mess."  
_

_"I need to go," she said resolutely. "Will you manage Lou on your own for a while?"  
_

_"Of course," he said quickly. "As long as it takes, don't worry about us. Are you going to tell her? I can try and find you a flight out tomorrow if you feel ready."  
_

_"The sooner the better," Lily said reluctantly. "I love you, you know that?"  
_

_James nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead but the look in his eyes remained serious and pained. "Shit, wasn't Jessica in college with Clay and Sara too?" he asked.  
_

_"Oh God, you're right," Lily gasped and the devastation she felt must have shown on her face, because he pressed her head against his shoulder comfortingly. "I don't suppose you could take care of telling her too? I'm sure she'll want to say goodbye, they were really close. She'll take it better from you, childhood best friends and all."  
_

_"Okay," James agreed. "I'll call Jess right now and try and find you a flight while you tell the kid." He nodded at Louisa's bedroom door and Lily flinched. He squeezed her fingers; "There's no easy way to do this," he reminded her and Lily knew he was right._

_Unsurprisingly, Louisa was sitting up in bed when Lily slipped into her bedroom, dimly lit by the pink glow of her Barbie nightlight. "Mummy, what's going on?" she asked, sounding sleepy now in spite of her alert posture. "You don't normally have conversations outside my bedroom door."  
_

_"Could you hear?" Lily asked hopefully, deflating when the girl shook her head. "Nana just called with really bad news, honey."  
_

_"What happened?" Louisa pressed, and the apprehension made her widened emerald-green eyes pierce the darkness of her bedroom.  
_

_Before answering, Lily crossed over to the bed and pulled her daughter into her arms. "When did you get so grown up, kid?"  
_

_"Mum, just tell me," Louisa begged, but for once she didn't squirm or pull away, nestling instead against her mother's shoulder.  
_

_Lily took a deep breath, looking straight into the carbon copy of her eyes and hating the pain she was about to put in them. "Aunt Sara died today, sweetie," she said gently. Sure enough, at her words Louisa's hopeful expression crumpled. "Lou?" she pressed in concern._

"_Are you going to America?" the seven year old asked simply, surprising her mother with how calm she sounded.  
_

_"Yeah," she nodded; "Just as soon as your Dad can find me a flight I'll have to go. Uncle Clay needs me right now." She hesitated when Louisa lurched forward and hugged her tightly. "Okay, not that I'm complaining but what was that for?"  
_

_"Can you pass it on?" her daughter asked and now her voice was quavering. "I know I can't come with you because of school and stuff…but Aunt Sara was Uncle Clay's favorite person in the whole world. And well, he's mine," she confessed. "So no offense Mum, but that hug wasn't really for you. It was a present, okay?"  
_

_"Okay," Lily choked, nodding through a haze of tears. "I did something right with you, little angel."  
_

_"Are you going to miss my birthday in two weeks?" Louisa asked and Lily's mouth fell open in dismay at the possibility. "It's okay if you do, just so you know. As long as you promise to give Uncle Clay lots and lots of those hugs, okay? Trust me they work magic. I'll be fine here with Daddy."  
_

_"I know you will, lovey," Lily nodded, kissing the top of her daughter's scruffy head. "I love you, my brave girl. Try and go to sleep now, alright? I should go see if Daddy found me a flight, lots to do."_

A faint smile crept across Lily's face at the thought of her sweet seven year old and she managed a reassuring tone to Jessica; "You're not pathetic, you're a girl who just lost her best friend. Louisa is lucky she's young; she'll bounce back soon enough. And you know what else?"

"What?" Jessica asked half-heartedly as they approached the baggage claim carousel. Lily pressed the brunette close to her while she kept a watchful eye out for her suitcase, only responding when both their bags had been recovered.

"I know you don't feel like you'll be much help to anyone right now, but I know Clay will be really glad you're here," she said with great conviction. "Come on, let's try and find a taxi now. My Mom sounded absolutely desperate on the phone yesterday."

"Your little brother is a total rockstar, Lils," Jessica pointed out admiringly. "As if I'll make any difference, I remember when Sara's sister died he was all she needed to get through it. I was always a tiny bit jealous of those two, it was amazing to watch."

"You'll make a huge difference, silly," the redhead told her. "Because he may have been Sara's rock through a horrible time but she was his too. And now she's the one going six feet under I seriously doubt he has any rockstar action left to give." Lily glanced dismally out the taxi window when the devastation in Jessica's warm brown eyes became too much to bear. "Hey, there's your symbolic rain," she said instead, pointing at the water trails streaking suddenly across the glass. Her fingers trembled as they pressed against the cool window-pane; "I have to be calm but it's incredibly hard, you know. You're absolutely right; nothing about this situation is fair. Poor little Logan must be so confused."

"Poor baby," Jessica murmured. "I hate to be right about how hard this is going to be, you know. I've been wishing for it to be a bad dream ever since James called me last night." She rubbed her eyes furiously and placed a hand on Lily's shoulder; "But I think you're right about one thing too: Being together right now will make a difference and we'll get through this…all of us, right?"

"That's the spirit," Lily replied with a weak smile. "I think I'll feel better when we get to the house and I can pass on Louisa's present, actually."

"What's the present?" Jess asked curiously. "That girl of yours is the sweetest, honestly."

"She really is," Lily agreed. "When I finally got around to tucking her in last night, I explained what happened and she said she'd be okay with me missing her birthday if I had to. The only condition was giving her Uncle Clay lots of hugs; I envy her faith in how much they'll help to be honest."

"That's incredible," Jessica said fondly, as the taxi slowed to a halt at their destination. She glanced nervously at the house and then back at Lily; "You know what? Maybe I should come by tomorrow," she suggested. "Clay's probably in a total state right now judging from what your Mum said. Don't want to overwhelm him, especially with the baby in the house and all. Tomorrow's a new day, don't you think?"

"Don't chicken out on me, Jess," Lily begged, staring at the dark windows of the house in turn. "That makes sense but you have to come over tomorrow, alright?"

"I'm not, I swear," the brunette insisted. "I didn't fly all the way out here just for the funeral, okay? We're in this together, I promise. I just think he needs you first." Her friend continued to look doubtful but then a light went on in the house and Jessica leaned over to nudge the car door open. "Your Mum is probably waiting, you guys are in for a long night," she pointed out unnecessarily. "I love you Lils, now go! Good luck and make Louisa's hug count from me too, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, I promise."

"I can do hugs, definitely," Lily promised faintly, but she couldn't help trembling with the dreadful anticipation as soon as she climbed out of the car and made her way up the garden path.

Before she even reached the front door it was flung open to reveal Marie Evans, her greying ginger hair a mess and a look of ill-disguised relief on her face. "Oh Lily, you made it," she said, opening her arms wide for a hug. "Thank goodness!"

"I made it," Lily repeated, the scent of her childhood overwhelming her fragile emotions once she was in her mother's embrace. "You weren't worried, were you?"

"I'm your mother, it's my job to worry," Marie said defensively. "I know it's been seven years since your father's freak accident but I just hate that flying is your only way to come home."

"I don't think my being on a plane should be your biggest concern right now," Lily pointed out, attempting to joke but the lump in her throat made it futile. She gazed in the direction of the bedrooms in the distance, straining to hear any signs of life. Clay and Sara's apartment was spread across one floor, bedrooms branching off a hallway past the living room and kitchen area. "Where is he?"

"Probably in the nursery," Marie said sadly, pointing to the bedroom on the left side of the hallway. "He's such a mess but he won't let Logan out of his sight, which only makes the baby more upset. Eight months is old enough to sense that something's not right."

"Did you tell him that you called me?" Lily asked, pushing her suitcase against the wall without letting go of her mother's hand.

"No," Marie confessed. "I'm hoping the surprise of seeing you will snap him out of the shock. He's barely said a word since the paramedics took Sara away, the neighbors heard the ambulance sirens and called me."

"I can't believe this," Lily sighed. "James mentioned it was an undiagnosed aneurysm?"

"Apparently," her mother nodded. "I've been here since I got the call trying to help, can only imagine how devastated her poor parents must be right now."

"Didn't Sara's older sister die a few years ago?" Lily recalled Jessica's story sympathetically, her own memory of the event hazy. "I vaguely remember what a mess she was at graduation, one of the few times I saw that girl cry."

"Exactly," Marie shuddered. "Both daughters dead before the age of thirty, it's unimaginably tragic." She gave her daughter another squeeze; "I'm so glad you're here, sweetheart. Do you want to have a wash or something?"

"Later," said Lily, shaking her head. "Right now I need to go and hug my little brother." She eased her fingers from Marie's grasp and headed in the direction her mother had pointed out, dreading what she would find with every step.

**A / N These drabbles are always in chronological order so obviously this one will stay near the end, the doom of Clara. The crossover headcanon continues and ties into flashbacks mentioned in my multi-chapter fic This Time Tomorrow. Enjoy the serious angst to come, with the family support Clay always deserved xx**


	12. Sara's Death Part 2 - July 2011

**Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground – Part 2**

When Lily pushed the nursery door open with a slight creak, Clay was standing with his back to her, leaning over the crib at the other end of the room. "You can stop hovering, Mom," he said quietly, without turning around. "He's finally asleep."

"That sounds like Mom, alright." Lily watched him stiffen in shock, his fingers squeezing the safety rail of the crib before he turned around. Clay had their mother's blue eyes, but while Lily had seen Marie's shining with compassion and concern just moments ago, her brother's looked tortured right now. "Hey, you," she whispered, crossing the room as quickly as she could without making too much noise.

"Flo…but how?" His shocked voice was so hushed that Lily had to lean in very close to make out the words, but she took advantage of the moment to squeeze him tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you really think Mom wouldn't call me?" she challenged affectionately, the pain in his eyes expanding the lump in her throat. "I love you, ducky."

"I'm not two years old anymore, Lils," he protested half-heartedly, but didn't object to the firm hug, bending over her shoulders to cling harder.

"You started it, dude," she said. "Two or twenty-five, you're my little brother forever. Flo was your first word because my friends were so unoriginal they used to call me Flower. Ring any bells?"

"Not really," Clay shrugged. "That's weird, Petunia is a flower too."

"I guess you had good taste from a young age," Lily joked, but he wouldn't smile. "Does Tuney know?" she pressed hesitantly, wishing she hadn't when his expression darkened.

"She told Mom she can't leave her family right now," he muttered. "If her jerkface of a husband can get that kind of loyalty I don't want her here anyway."

But with every word of that resentful statement he was shaking and Lily squeezed his fingers hard; "I'm sorry, honey." She frowned when he resisted her attempts to tug him out of the nursery. "Clay…you need to take a break," she urged. "Logan is fast asleep, he's fine right now."

"Well I'm not," he choked and Lily knew that something inside him had finally snapped when he moved towards the armchair in the corner and pushed the giant stuffed panda bear occupying it to the floor before flopping down on it himself. "How am I supposed to take care of him by myself? Sara and I were a team. I don't know how to do this without her!"

Biting her lip, Lily knelt down on the floor at his feet and tugged Clay's hands away from his face. "Nobody knows how to deal with a situation this tragic from day one, sweetie," she said gently. "But you don't have to figure it out by yourself. You've got me and Mom and Sara's parents eventually I imagine. What happened will never be fair but you'll get through it, I promise."

"Thanks for trying," he said disbelievingly. "I've missed you, Lils." With a strained smile she straightened up and perched on the armrest of the chair.

"I'll be around as long as you want," she promised. When their mother peeked into the nursery a little while later, she saw her two grown kids squashed into the armchair in the corner, Lily's head grazing her brother's shoulder and his shaking hands clinging to hers as if his life depended on it.

"Hey kids, who's hungry?" Marie asked finally, the second time she checked on them to find their positions unchanged, except for the fact that Lily was nearly asleep on Clay's shoulder. "Jetlag still exists, love," she pointed out at the flustered look on her daughter's face when she jerked upright. "The circumstances suck but having you two under the same roof again does the old heart good." Her gaze drifted to Clay who was staring at the crib again with a horribly blank expression. When Lily got to her feet and stretched, Marie moved towards him and stroked his hair tenderly. "I made your favorite pancakes," she told him. "Breakfast for dinner, that's how badly I want you to eat something right now. Please?"

"But Mom, he's…," Clay protested, trailing off at the skeptical look on Lily's face.

"Fast asleep," Marie finished. "We'll be right outside, kid, that's why baby monitors were invented."

"She did say please," Lily added and Clay scowled at her in frustration.

"I liked you better asleep," he said, getting to his feet with a sigh. "Fine, you win."

"As usual," Lily smirked, holding out her hand to him. "Come on, I don't know about you but I'm starving."

There was a subdued silence when the siblings settled around the wooden table in the living room. Lily watched Clay intently while he dribbled syrup onto his pancakes. "I thought you were starving?" he reminded her, picking unenthusiastically at his plate.

"Right, of course." She followed suit with the syrup but never took her eyes off his haunted gaze. "I brought Jessica with me," she said conversationally, at a loss for anything else to say. "It was James' idea, they're still close."

"Wow," he said softly. "How did she take the news?"

"Not that much better than you to be honest," Lily admitted. "It's a shocking thing to happen and they were best friends all through college. She's devastated but she also cares a lot about you, you know."

"Sweet girl," Clay said fondly and Lily nodded her agreement. All the while Marie was watching him slowly eating the syrupy pancake and finally Clay turned to her in exasperation; "Mom, would you please quit staring? It's going, see? Slowly but surely, you're the one always saying not to gobble."

"I'm sorry," she said, shrugging defensively. "You haven't eaten since we got back from the hospital, I worry about you."

"I have a perfectly valid reason to not be hungry," he pointed out, on full alert for any sound from the nursery, she could tell. "Kind of distracted here."

"You're going to need your strength tomorrow, kid," his mother argued, undeterred by the stubborn tone. "You can bet I'll do whatever it takes to get those pancakes into you. We'll all been through the massive funeral situation before, after all. I doubt you've really forgotten about that, so don't fight me on this."

Her voice broke and Clay frowned at the subtle reminder of his father's death. "Mom, I…" he started apologetically, but was interrupted by Lily's cell phone vibrating so violently it almost fell over the edge of the table.

She had been watching the budding argument with a serious expression and saved her phone from going crashing to the floor with a relieved look at the timing. "It's James," she said, swiping the touchscreen to answer the call. "Hi honey."

"He doesn't sleep without you, or what?" Clay marveled, checking his watch. "It's like 3 a.m. or something in England right now."

"Hush up, you," Lily laughed, making a face at her brother. "It's nice to be missed." To James she added; "Yeah, Clay is amazed that you're calling this late. What have you been up to?"

"Trying to get your daughter to go back to sleep," her husband groaned, sounding exhausted. "I love the girl but ever since we realized her summer vacation starts literally next week she's been going on about missing out on this trip."

"She's awake _now_?" Lily demanded. "Give her the phone, right now! Crazy girl."

"I love you too, Lils," he joked, faking offence at her one-track mind. "Hope you all get through tonight okay. Here's the little menace now."

"Hi Mummy," came Louisa's sheepish voice seconds later.

"Was I too quick to call you an angel, kid?" Lily asked. "You were supposed to listen to Daddy while I'm gone, not be awake at three in the morning."

"I'm sorry, Mum," she said quietly. "I just really wanted to make sure you passed on my present properly. I promise I'll go back to sleep if you let me talk to Uncle Clay."

"You're good, kiddo," Lily admitted. "Sure this isn't just a bargaining chip to put off sleeping at a decent hour?"

"Mum, I'm serious," her daughter protested and Lily could picture her pouting face in the tone of her voice.

"I believe you," she said affectionately. "Promise you'll go to sleep after that, okay?"

"I promise," repeated Louisa solemnly and Lily handed the phone to Clay.

"Since you're not interested in the pancakes, could you please talk to my kid so she goes to sleep?" she begged. "And tell her I'm taking good care of you while you're at it."

"Sure I can," Clay nodded, taking the phone from her. "Hey squirt, what the hell are you doing awake?"

"Uncle Clay!" she squealed, choosing not to answer the question. "Did Mummy give you the big hug from me?"

"She sure did," he assured her. "More than one in fact. Thanks for letting me borrow her for a little while."

"Anytime," Louisa giggled. "Did she tell you what else I said last night when she told me she had to go?"

"Ooh, she slipped up," he said mock-seriously; "What else was there? You can tell me yourself now."

"I told her Aunt Sara was your favorite person in the whole world. So of course I had to let her come and help because you're my favorite, okay? I just needed to say that. Can I be your person now? Like Meredith and Cristina on Grey's Anatomy. You know that show?"

"I…I've heard of it," Clay told her, struggling to speak around the lump swelling in his throat. "Aren't you a little young for that kind of thing, kid?"

"It's so bad for me, I love it," Louisa told him. "That doesn't answer my question: Will you let me be your person next time you need one?"

"That doesn't even need to be a question," he replied thickly. "You have always been my person, squirt. I love you, Lulu."

"Awesome!" she cheered; "I love you too. Try not to be sad, okay? You still have a person now, see?"

"Go to sleep, smarty pants," he choked; "Good talk…thanks, baby. I miss you."

"Stupid school," she sighed dramatically. "Goodnight, say bye to Mummy for me."

Before he could even agree, Louisa had hung up and Clay exhaled deeply as he handed Lily her phone back. She watched him with deep frown lines creasing her forehead; "How do you feel?" she pressed.

"Very in love with your kid," he said fondly, but Lily could see the lingering despair in his eyes, unshakeable even before a long wail rang out from the direction of the nursery. "Logan," he whispered and lurched towards the source of the noise, his half-eaten pancakes forgotten.

**A / N A little shorter this time but it felt like a good place to stop since this one is sad but overall sweeter than the next one will be, angst ahoy! xx**


End file.
